Tom Poti 'questionable' against Leafs

Capitals Coach Bruce Boudreau said defenseman Tom Poti is "questionable" for Wednesday's game against Toronto, and said the assignment of Brian Fahey to Hershey is not necessarily an indication that Poti or Tyler Sloan will be ready to play.

Fahey and center Mathieu Perreault were sent down after Saturday's win over Calgary, but Boudreau said that decision wasn't solely related to the health of his regulars.

Boudreau then took the time after practice this morning to list the move's advantages:

"A), Hershey played last night; B), it's better for the [salary] cap; and C) we didn't practice [Sunday] so there was no sense in keeping them here," Boudreau said. "We have that option of recalling any of them and we'll see where we are tomorrow."

Poti participated in the entire practice Monday except for the wind sprints at the end of the session. Sloan participated in about half of the practice before leaving the ice early.

Poti went in for treatment immediately after practice and left the facility before he was made available to reporters, but Boudreau said Poti looked pretty good, and he did appear to be moving well throughout.

"I haven't talked to him but I thought he looked better than he did last week at this time," Boudreau said. "We'll see after we talk to the trainers."

Boudreau said he would prefer to recall a player sooner rather than later if he needed one for Wednesday's game, so a roster move or lack thereof tomorrow might offer a solid indication of Poti's status.

As far as Varlamov. Groin injuries are awful. I had one years ago playing sports. You think it's healed, you stretch good, everythings great...then boom it pulls again. This could be an all season problem.

As far as the Calgary win. Yes it was great to see the offense wake up. However the problems remain at Center and Defense. These are not going to just go away, even if the Caps reel off a lot of goals and wins. They actually mask the problems and cause for a false sense of security, which will show up like a bad brother-in-law come Spring.

I'll give u center issues, but our D is playing pretty decent for the most part. We are allowing less GAs and SOGs than last season and our PK looks pretty good. I also think it will continue to improve as Carlson and Alzner adjust.

@kcb et al. I agree that the win was pretty and made us fans feel good. What would make me feel really good as a fan is seeing the Caps play a defensive schemed team and win playing a similar style that is geared for the playoffs.

no the Caps defense has not been the problem. We must not be watching the same game. the defenders for the Caps have been a heck of a lot better than last year. The lack of a forecheck from the upfront is the problem. The fact that Caps forwards other than a couple actually check and back check. Everyone wants to beat up the Caps defender but the fact remains the Caps forwards seem more committed to doing the little things to help their dmen.

Awful indeed - I missed half my sophomore year with a groin pull, it was brutal. I wouldn't wish one on any hockey player for any team [well, maybe Mike Richards when he head-hunts], never mind guys I like.

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